Oregon
Oregon Ducks Favored in Big Ten: ‘We Don’t Care’ says Michigan
Oregon Ducks Football might be entering the Big Ten Conference among the favorites to win the league, but that doesn’t mean the old guard has to like it.
Michigan has reeled off three Big Ten titles in a row, finishing last season with a national title as well. Several popular betting sites have the Wolverines as third or fourth for best odds to win the league again, sometimes behind Penn State but never ahead of Oregon or Ohio State.
“Honestly, I don’t think that we care,” Michigan running back Donovan Edwards said. “I’d say we don’t care, in the sense that it’s us against everybody as it was last year.”
Edwards was joining former Wolverine tight end Jake Butt on his podcast, The L.A.B., where he was asked about the Buckeyes and Ducks being favored was a good motivator for the defending champs. The Wolverines lost their head coach, Jim Harbaugh, as well as nearly 20 players to the NFL.
“The way that I’ve been looking at it is, you can look at the offensive side of the ball — a lot of guys, including myself, haven’t been in a position to where your number is called on every single play,” Edwards said. “I want to be one of those guys where my number is called on every single play. I want the coaches to rely on me.
“It’s the same thing with all the guys on the offense. C-Love [tight end Colston Loveland] is the only returner on the offense, so it’s like — you want that pressure. You want that expectation, and guys are going to rise to that.”
Of course, talk in July won’t mean much when November rolls around. By then, Ohio State will have already travelled to Eugene (Oct. 12). Then in the final month of the regular season, the Ducks are in Ann Arbor on Nov. 2 with The Game slated for Nov. 30.
In the new Big Ten, Oregon could face either Ohio State or Michigan twice this fall. With the removal of divisions, the top two teams in the league standings will mean for the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis on Dec. 7.
No matter who emerges from the round-robin between these three schools in the regular season, or who ultimately wins the Big Ten title, all three programs could see themselves in the College Football Playoff. An Oregon-Michigan rematch for the conference crown followed by an Oregon-Ohio State rematch for all the marbles? Count me in.
The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
-
Florida3 minutes agoFlorida Lottery Powerball, Lotto, Fantasy 5 results for April 22, 2026
-
Georgia9 minutes agoWildfires rage across Georgia and northern Florida amid severe drought
-
Hawaii15 minutes agoBench in Honokaʻa to Hilo storefront: Knickknackery Hawaii brings old-time island charm to Hilo
-
Idaho21 minutes agoIdaho ranks last in per pupil spending, again – Local News 8
-
Illinois27 minutes agoArlington Heights Bears fans cheer as ‘Megaprojects’ bill passes Illinois House
-
Indiana33 minutes ago99th Fire Department Instructors Conference draws 38,000 firefighters to Indy
-
Iowa39 minutes agoSee where all 9 Iowa State women’s basketball transfers ended up
-
Kentucky51 minutes agoIntrepido horse trainer, jockey, owner for Kentucky Derby 2026